Shoe-fastening



1N0 Model.)

G. F. BISSELL.

i SHOE FASTENING.

No. 439,996 Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

a mum ravens co woro-uwm, WASNWUYON u UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC GEORGEF. BISSELL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SHOE-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,996, dated November4, 1890..

Application filed May 13| 1890.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F..BISSELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe and GloveFasteners, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in shoe and glovefasteners adapted to receive the end of the lacing and retain the samewithout the necessity of tying.

The object of my invention is to produce a fastener which will beeffective in its operation, and provided with additional facilities foradapting their use to a double lacing and at the same time be cheap andnovel in its construction.

My invention consists in forming the retention-hook of the fastener insubstantially inverted-U-shaped form and preferably by bending up aportion of the periphery of the plate, the left-hand portion of theU-shaped piece being pressed more closely to the plate to form but anarrow opening, while its corresponding opposite portion is open to agreater extent to form a guide for the lacing, whereby the U-shapedportion virtually forms two hooks connected at their upper ends, one ofwhich, together with the connecting railing or arch, forms the guide andthe other the reraining-hook.

The invention further consists in providing the fastener with anauxiliary hook in addition tothe combined hook and guide, which willgive the fastener additional effectiveness when used for double lacings.

The invention also consists in certain novel features in the arrangementand construction of parts, all as hereinafter explained, and pointed outin the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my fastenerin a completed form and made from sheet metal. Fig. 2 is a face view ofthe preferable form of blank, showing the perforations for securing tothe shoe and the U-shaped incisions for forming the combined hook andguide, and the auxiliary hook for the double lacings.

The fastener is preferably formed of suitable elastic sheet metal, asfrom such mate- Serial N0.351,69Z. (N0 model) rial'the combined hook andguide A and the auxiliary hook B may be formed of one piece, or from asuitable blank 0, as shown in Fig. 2; but other materialsuch as wire-maybe used, though that shown in the drawings is by far the most desirable,as it is easily formed by stamping from the metal. The blank C fromwhich the fastener is made in general form approaches that of the handportion of a mitten, this being a desirable shape to give the hookportions their proper position when bent into form, and also to give theproper symmetry in appearance.

To form the combined hook and guide A a U-shaped incision a is made inthe lower half of the blank, which conforms to the outline of thisportion, and which leaves aperipheral U-shaped portion a nearlyseparated from the blank. This peripheral rim (1/ is bent over on theblank 0 to form the combined hook and guide A, and in forming this partof the device the right-hand portion, or that portion nearest thelacings of the shoe, isleft sufficiently opened to receive the lacingwithout theslightest difficulty, and serves merely to form a guide I)for the lacing, together with the arched portion of the U-shaped piece,while the opposite and corresponding side is compressed to form a narrowpassage 0 for the lacing,'which tapers gradually from the guidingportion and which serves by its elasticity to hold the lacing from beingdisplaced. Thus from the U-shaped incisionsI produce substantially twohooks having a connecting railing, which railing, together with onehook, forms simply a guide, while the other hook serves for retentionpurposes.

On turning up the peripheral rim a a oentral depending portion at isleft, which is es pecially designed to be formed into a hook B, foradapting the fastener for use with double lacings, in which case twofasteners are required on each shoe; but when made for a single lacingthis portion at may be provided with a perforation by which to securethe fastener to the shoe. This depending portion (1, as above stated, ismore particularly de signed for the formation of the hook B, which,together with the other portion, makes the preferred form of the device,and this hook B may be made simply by bending over this central portiond,'but by preference Iform it in this portion by making an inverted-U-shaped incision e, which forms a tongue E. This tongue 6 is pressed outfrom the main body and doubled over to form the hook at its lowestpoint.

The fastener is attached to the upper portion of the flap of the shoeoneon each sideby means of suitable rivets passing through the perforationsf f; but, however, this feature may be varied, as any suitable manner ofsecuring the same maybe employed. In forming the fastener I also makethe inner surface of the combined hook and guide convex sufiiciently toprovide against the abrasion of the cord or lacing.

The operation of the fastener, briefly described, is as follows: Theshoe being provided with the fasteners-one on each side-the lacing fromthe last eyelet or hook on one side is passed over to the opposite sidearound the hook B of the fastener, and thence back again to the otherfastener. The lacing readily falling into the guide is at the same timedrawn down into the narrow opening 0 and held by the elasticity of themetal. The other lacing is fastened in the same manner, first connectingwith the hook B of the fastener opposite and then back into the combinedhook and guide.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a lace-fastener, the inverted- U -shaped clamp connected to themain body of the fastener-plate at its lower ends, one arm of saidinverted-U-shape-d clamp forming between it and the plate a contractedor wedge-shaped space and the other arm being adapted to form a guide,and the supplemental lacinghook formed below said clamp-railing,substantially as described, whereby the lacing, after engaging thesupplemental hook, is drawn over into the combined guide and clamprailing on the opposite device and held.

2. A lace fastener comprising a clasp formed from a flat blank, theperiphery or margin of the lower part of which is separated from theblank by a curvilinear cut and turned upwardly to form a guide and claspfor the lace, and an internal tongue out from the blank and formed intoan auxiliary hook below the inverted- U shaped lace-clamp, substantiallyas described.

GEORGE F. BISSELL.

Witnesses:

H. M. STERLING, ALEX MOHUN.

